Postings by nina's Family

thanks for the hello, tyler.
BOL also to thor!!!
thanks guys, it meant alot. all the more in the hush that followed our simple and sincere comments.
sorry if i missed another hello..
for the two 'canned' responses we received for legitimate concerns which were lablelled 'complaints'..oh well. i guess if one is employed by dogster, that could color one's perspective on the 'new' dogster experience.
paying 20 bucks for contributing content to a commercial website that has so many fleas nothing works, being forced to write one's own css code, struggling for a half hour to upload a single image must be some kind of deal..too bad all the old timers seem to have 'opted out' of such a great bargain.
i guess thier 'complaints' went unheard and belittled as well.
or were they just ignored or trampled over?
whatever happened..they have gone and dogster is not interested in why.

somehow i don't think this is what ted had in mind when he created dogster, but hey..who are we to judge? ..just a dog family who have tried to be great dogsters for years and years!

yup, we've made birthday and get well cards, sent countless pms to doggies who needed advise or help or just to make friends..we sent food to dogsters who had no money to buy any.
we literally spent weeks crafting our pages since there is no template available for 'jazzing up' our 20 dollar pages. we weren't 'enjoying' learning to 'write code'..there was no other option but follow the advise of a private group who donated THIER time to help!
for all we might have given, we received ten fold back from our pals. we never received jack from dogster but excuses and hold on it's being fixed blah blah blah.
dogster has always been deaf and dumb to it's member's concerns..that is why all the original dogster members have vanished.
as to using dogster 'to store 300 images' as was suggested was a bargain price..i hope that commenter realizes what a joke that suggestion is when dogster has to be the most unstable platform ever devised! just posting a comment or uploading an image is like wading through internet mud! all these years and STILL no simple attach a photo or reply to comment tab on the forums?? Haha! i doubt there is another dinosaur forum around without these simple user friendly tabs.
but dogster is NEVER user friendly.
it is ADVERTISEMENT friendly..period.
i also found the comment that the intimate home photos of our lives that we share with other dogsters would be for 'storage purposes' beyond insulting.
we shared our PRIVATE LIVES in the name of friendship and to send the love of dog across the web.
we hardly need 'storage' for 300 photos regardless...we have thousands and thousands of photos and store them on a hard drive!
if one WERE to pay for online storage, those images would be kept SECURE and not sold for profit as *yes the images i have uploaded are used as dogster 'content' or published publicly! ummm..that's not 'storage' BOL!
try photobucket or flikr..both free!~...how many thousands of photos can one store there privately on a secure host that doesn't crash every two minutes!
as to facebook and privacy issues..we are not on facebook and never have been.
dogster is a cookie machine..i get over 39 cookies with each single click..and they are longterm tracking cookies that are very difficult to delete. there is no doubt that dogster pinches every penny of privacy from it's members and passes it along to third parties. just check your cache after a brief visit without an ad blocker!
on top of that, touting privacy on dogster really does take gaul when all my pawmails were read by nosy administrators! i would guess i wouldn't have that concern on facebook! BOL!
the hypocrisy is rich.
honestly, i've tried my best to contribute on this site..i guess like many of my old time pals..it's time to bid adieu.
it's too bad dogster has not only no integrity, but also consistently ignores their most loyal member's issues.
we'll be deleting our account i guess..we no longer feel welcome here and it's nothing but frustration.
we've been feeling like this wasn't a good place for us since things went south with the new owners, it will be a relief to us to end the internal conflict we felt...due to our LOYALTY to a site who obviously has no interest in our feelings. we have long sensed the discord on this site but don't visit the forums or groups enough to understand the internal feuds and arguments...we came here just to have fun!
i hope those reading this will understand just how deeply hurt we are by the callous responses we received for voicing our honest feelings of frustration and exploitation using 'the NEW dogster'.
we feel utterly betrayed and used.
for our pals who would like to stay in contact with us, please pm us..we would love to stay pals and email.
we'll come back to delete our stuff soon..too upset to stay here right now.

we just tried to put up a new photo for the second time..too much work!!!
fiddled around deleting pics for twenty minutes and got nowhere but prodded to buy plus with every click! we found that quite offensive.
dogster is very chinsey! i can't even caption the pics i have showing! no free zealies anymore either i guess!
yet meanwhile OUR pics still fill dogster's personal dachshund or french bulldog breed library!
wow..help yourselves dogster! you're welcome!
too bad you won't allow ME to display my OWN pics on MY page!!!!
we don't dare even try to upload a new video..sure that side of our page will poof if we touch it.
20 bucks is ridiculous..social media is free dogster! it's insulting to pay be required pay to provide free content for your site!
if dogster is wondering where everybody went..there's the answer!
i'll keep checking in on you pals..i love you all but we can't contribute much anymore..can't upload pics or vids, no zealies and can't see half the forums..it's too much hassel and frustration and we feel EXPLOITED to be honest!
social media is free dogster! making members provide your site content and pay as well is exploitive and a failed business model.
all the great info, wisdom and pics that draw the public to this site are member-generated!
without our love, dogster would be nothing but stock photos and talking heads!

hey guys! it's been cold and boring over here..we basically sleep all day and beg treats!
Louie has learned how to be a professional fetcher but insists upon those orange balls that go with that slinging device (forgot the brand name)..any other balls are ignored!! we have our daily drill following obedience commands for shredded mozzarella and sardine balls at snack time; one minute late and we HOWL in UNISON!!! we're forecast to get two feet of snow tomorrow, seems like those rumors about puxatawny phil hitting the bottle were true! love and blessings to everybody!

yup Luke, we went down that road with lola..her neck bones had basically disintegrated with age. in retrospect, i feel it was accellerated because she loved to lunge on the leash to greet people and dogs and wore a collar. she also climbed and descended stairs..(going down is so hard on the shoulders and neck).
she went to 4 different local vets and it was always the same treatment: steroids and metacam which imo destroyed her mental acuity and ruined her organs.
there is a huge difference between an oops injury and ivdd as well as the age of the dog as to what treatment is best.
a slip off the couch could mean anything from a torn ligament at one end of the specturm to a ruptured or crushed disc at the other. i think only a scan or xray can definitively decide what happened.
at least that is what all the vets told us and even with xrays, they couldn't say. a scan is several thousand dollars in this area.
our experience with local vets (which seems to be the norm), is they poke around, make tsk tsk sounds and shoot them up with steroids. the common thought is to give it a two week whirl with pills and 'see' whether the dog improves. often times, that two weeks is extended until the dog is on the steroids for a long time. even two weeks is too long imo.
what is interesting is the latest data from the dachshund people show that crate rest alone is more effective than drug plus crate jail.
they are no longer going for the steroid shots and drugs but opting for hydrotherapy and acupuncture following 8 weeks of complete crate jail.
they do offer pain meds if needed but skip the steroids.
the steroids might help the inflamation temporarily (and could just do the trick), but the trade off in organ damage has to be evaluated.
with these little dogs, i will have to be very desperate to consider steroids..i have seen what they do firsthand and read of so many dachshunds who have recovered using complete confinement. the dachshund community has done a 360 on back injury treatment, that's why i linked dodger's list, the testimonials say it all. there are some amazing detailed stories on the dachshund forums as well, many are saying crate jail first then surgery if no results. they are not going down the steroid road anymore.
the latest recall in the news of the humans being injected with tainted steroids just emphasizes my personal hatred for the steroid treatments. if they are so slipshod with humans, i wonder what they are giving the dogs.
news account i have such regrets for putting lola through the steroid/metacam treatments, i wish i could turn back the hands of time and save her that degredation.
everyone has to make their own calls, obviously, this is just my personal feelings from both research and personal experience..as a doxie owner, i have tried to be prepared for that awful yelp we all fear in our hearts.
the biggest take away for me after all my research was preventative measures is the best method of avoiding back injury. we use ramps, don't climb stairs or wear collars. we are not allowed to jump down from the furniture.
we stay fit and not overweight.

i dropped hunter a pm yesterday..i hope she updates this thread so we know how she is doing.

i took some pictures and was glad i did because when i compare them to the pictures we took a couple of weeks ago, i can see that i am healing up.
it's funny that my 'baldness' does not show up in photos much at all..it looks worse to mom in person.
we didn't edit these photos for color or sharpness because we wanted to try to capture the 'real life' situation.
maybe someone will have some ideas of why i started scratching?
my ears 2? weeks agomy ears nowmy chest now

the vet won't do anything but poke around and then prescribe steroids and painkillers and bedrest.
that combo does nothing but destroy the dog's organs imo, i have never heard of it working for anyone. (i've been down that road with an old dog..it was torture and useless).
if they go further with xrays or a scan, they might find something damaged, but it is very unlikely the vet would even suggest that as they would have to see a specialist. that would also cost several thousand dollars all told.
at this point, at first injury and as long as the dog is still mobile and not in pain, crate jail is definitely the way to go. don't let hunter walk anywhere, carry her outside to potty and back into her crate.
i wouldn't stop anyone from going to the vet, but it is a waste of money to go for a 'yelp' and progesterone and metacam are killers imo..especially for a 5 month old puppy (not sure that age is correct from your bio?), whose organs are not even completely grown.
back injury is really serious, but complete rest is the first and most effective strategy for recovery. if hunter is in pain, then she should get some pain killers. but it is more likely just painful when left free, not when confined to the crate.
i hope hunter checks back with an update. POTP!

Hunter, sounds like you hurt your back.
the best thing is bed rest. that means being crated and not moving a muscle except for pottying.
it is really boring but back injuries are no joke.
keep an eye on your appetite..if it diminishes at all then you should see the vet. otherwise, see how you feel after a few days of crate jail.
you could take one half of a BABY aspirin for the pain and inflamation. (NOT ibuprofen or tylenol!)
you can build a ramp with scrap wood and staple on it a rug for traction to get up and down off the couch. also stay off the stairs or make someone carry you.
click here to go to dodgerslist, the bible of healing back injuriesbe sure to rest now, that is the key to healing up the quickest!

Sparkles, thanks..that's why i was wondering about that shampoo we used..it was for a long haired dog. she went to rainbow bridge, so her mom passed it on to us and was labelled 'cuddly'. it looks like a fancy boutique brand, maybe it has a 'detangler' in it that didn't agree with my skin.
i don't have any sores, no hot spots, nothing 'open' at all..just balding patches and there were some 'pimply' bumps that popped up after our last run in the woods, but they have gone.
the worst is behind my ears because i scratched there with my hind legs. that was reddish, but now it is just 'white' the color of my bald skin. (i'll take a pic and post it later).
we did rewash all our bedding just in case it was the detergent we used last week's washing, (happened to have bought a new 'oxy type' brand) so we used a 'green' brand, no perfumes etc.
i don't have anything unusual about my skin at all now, it is not red or cracked or the little bumps. just bald.. :'(
Mika and Kai, you make an excellent point about the staph. in fact, mommy had what looked like staph on her hand from scratching a burn that was healing! it itched like crazy and she couldn't help scratching it; (between two fingers from trying to push in the hot grill shelf in the oven which jumped and jammed). i wonder if she could have given it to me or vice versa?
i was told by another dogster that they do not treat staph.
mommy put neosporin on her burn, (it had actually healed but then got itchy bumps) and it went away.
so many variables..
i am being 'monitored' for no scratching and Louie is being taught not to groom me anymore; i think i could be healing but it will take some time for hair to grow back. at least we do not see the baldness spreading further. i am full of pep and vinegar as always and eating like a pig.
dachshunds are actually prone to alopecia, but i don't think that is my problem because i don't think that is associated with this itchiness. but it worries me because we don't grow back fur as well as other dogs..i've noticed if i have a bug bite or nick, it leaves a little bald spot forever.
i have upped my weekly dose of sardine toppers and the rest of my coat is gleaming. the section on the top of my back is growing thicker for winter, it has a different texture than my summer coat.
we are definitely monitoring the situation, we'll know in a couple of days if i am improving; if not, we will see the vet.
thanks for all the imput! you guys are great!

i haven't changed my diet..it's wellness core with toppings.
my appetite and activity level is still through the roof with exuberance.
dachsie's don't get skin problems very often from what i have observed..i have never had one before..
no fleas here, though we did get a few ticks recently..they are all jumping onboard before winter hits i guess..but we removed them within a day. (even mommy was bitten) as soon as we found them. given my shoe polish coat, they have no where to hide on me.
saliva contains digestive juices that break down food doesn't it?
Louie is licking my ears and neck which is where the 'rash' and baldness is taking place..seems like a connection to us!
i will have to visit the vet for a skin scraping i guess if we can't solve this! thanks for the suggestions thus far..

i am known for my shiny coat, it is so slippery and silky; everyone always oohs and ahhs when i squiggle in their arms!
but for the last two months i have been going bald!
it all began with little bite type bumps (not that i think they are bites/that's just what they look like, little pimples) on my neck and chest. then it spread to the tips of my ears which were awful, so raggety, they were bleeding!!
that's when mommy started to suspect that Louie, (my brofur), was licking and chewing on my ears!!!
i am often covered with his spittle!
when this started, we thought it was poison ivy or scratches from my racing through the forest, running through brush and leaping over and through thickets (my favorite)...or that perhaps, i had rolled in a wild critter's smell that was burning me?
i took two baths (i usually only take one bath a year heh heh) and cleaned my leather harness in case it was somehow causing this. the first shampoo was a hand me down from an angel pal of ours, a tibetian spaniel..it said for 'cuddley soft fur' so then we wondered if that might have caused a reaction, since i have smooth fur and not much of it..my coat is like shoe polish really.
but the second bath, while very welcome and did stop the scratching frenzy, has not stopped the spreading problem.
i even wore a collar on walks instead of my harness, but it doesn't seem to help. (i don't wear anything at home).
we are wondering...could it be Louie's kisses that is causing this?
he loves to lick the inside of my ears and my neck..that is where the baldness is the worst!
i have been getting a wipe down with a warm washcloth every morning and it seems to be helping?
if this is a skin problem, how can Louie still have a gleaming, perfect coat? wouldn't he have 'caught' it, were it contagious?